Red

When my older sister and I were litte girls, our mum used to read us a book about a dog who built his own house from scratch. It was one of those really simple children's stories, with only a couple of sentences on each side, but this one had lovely illustrations full of details. I remember that he finished off his house by putting a red geranium on his window-sill. Ever since, I've loved a red geranium on my window-sill to get that 'home' feeling wherever I am. I don't know about my sister, but that book is strong in my memory.
This particular geranium is special to me for other reasons - my boyfriend got it for me when it was a tiny seedling last summer, and I have watered it and fed it, and stopped feeding it for its dormant period during winter. It has, however, never seized blossoming, all throughout winter! I came back from my Christmas holiday, and there it was still, red and blooming amongst all the dark, and dreich of Edinburgh's mild winter. I'm so confused, but so happy, it has really helped me through the year, in its simple way.

I was very happy when my younger sister wanted me to knit her a cabled, red hat, since her old one that I knitted years back has finally capitulated:



It is not the exact same colour, but it was just as pleasing to me as the red of the geranium, and now it's warming the head of a loved one.

Today I'm knitting a fluffy, silky, dreamy blue thing for my good friend, Ingrid, who really deserved everything fluffy, silky and dreamy.